How exactly does a military draft work?

[ringmastery]

If I understand this correctly, if a draft would be held the people bearing almost all of the risk would be those turning 20 in the year of the draft?

Those turning, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 would be under much reduced risk unless there was a crisis to such extremes that a massive amount of new troops was needed. They would have to draft every 20 year old before moving to the next age group, no?

According to this site:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig4/wiggins5.html

2. THE LOTTERY
The lottery would establish the priority of call based on the birth dates of registrants. The first men drafted would be those turning age 20 during the calendar year of the lottery. For example, if a draft were held in 1998, those men born in 1978 would be considered first. If a young man turns 21 in the year of the draft, he would be in the second priority, in turning 22 he would be in the third priority, and so forth until the year in which he turns 26 at which time he is over the age of liability. Younger men would not be called in that year until men in the 20–25 age group are called

[ThomWV]

1. New Game, Dealer's Rules

You are just looking at the set of rules that was convienent at the end of the Viet Nam War. Those are certainly not the same rules that existed at the beginning of the Viet Nam War, which were different than the rules during the Korean Conflict, which were nothing at all like the rules during the Great War.

They will set up a system, probably a birthdate based lottery, it may or may not be also tied to birth year (but I doubt it) and it will allow for a great number of exemptions. It has to be that way for a very straight forward reason. Do you have any idea how many young men of draftable age there are in this country? A shitload, that's how many. There are far more potential draftees out there in the pool than could ever be utilized, so there will be exemptions galore.

[TexasProgresive]

2. and don't forget

the deferments will be heavily weighted to the well connected rich boys.

[kcwayne]

5. There will be too much scrutiny on the Chicken Hawks to get deferments

Instead, they will put on uniforms and flight suits, and be stationed at Pearl or and Langley in "strategic" assignments that recognize their innate skills (daddy's deep pockets). They will be assigned to work on Republican re-election campaigns. In the off campaign season, they will do "liason" work, going around with Senators and House Representatives to provide a uniformed backdrop to the pork barrel speeches they make on the home front. During these critical operations, they will be greasing the Senator's contribution network, and laying groundwork for their own future.

Actually, most of the time, they will be drinking beer on Waikiki, and having sex with debutantes and hookers. The other stuff looks good on the resume though.

[BiggJawn]

3. You turn 18, you get a letter from Bush...

Whole new day dawnin' out there. Uncle Rummy needs Cannon Fodder, myte!

Is your dad a "Pioneer" or "Ranger"? You get a deferment. In college already? OK, finish the semester, then off to bootcamp.

You got a kid? OK, you can send 'em a picture so they know YOU are daddy, and not that guy who spends Friday night...

Don't look to what my generation went through for ideas on what to expect. This is a whole new ballgame, and the umps are sociopaths.

[Demonaut]

11. lol, guess we will have to wait and see, will rummy disparage these

involunteers too I wonder?!

[kikiek]

4. Draft

Recently I heard someone from selective service talk about what future drafts might be should they occur. During the 1st Iraq war they were short on Medical personnel so they were able to get congress' authority to draft people according to their skill. He used the example of the Medical which says that ages 18 through ages 45 were draftable. Because the need is skills they extend the ages. He said that if that were to happen most likely it would be linguists and computer specialists this time. No indication was made that one was in the making however.

[kcwayne]

6. They need to look for their computer specialists in India

all the unemployed ones in the US will have some serious attitude issues and the NSA types will get anal about them being security risks. If I were given a chance to place some interesting trojans in Halliburton's network.......

[yltlatl]

10. It's Called "Health Care Personnel Delivery System"

"The Health Care Personnel Delivery System (HCPDS) is a standby plan developed for the Selective Service System at the request of Congress. If needed it would be used to draft health care personnel in a crisis. It is designed to be implemented in connection with a national mobilization in an emergency, and then only if Congress and the President approve the plan and pass and sign legislation to enact it. No portion of the plan is designed for implementation in peacetime. If implemented, HCPDS would:"

<snip>

"Begin a mass registration of male and female health care workers between the ages of 20 and 45. They would register at local post offices. HCPDS would provide medical personnel from a pool of 3.4 million doctors, nurses, specialists and allied health professionals in more than 60 fields of medicine."

http://www.sss.gov/FSmedical.htm

Nobody's safe. They will just take whoever they think they need.

[Jacobin]

7. Some links to the bill here. It's in the House

http://motherspeak.org/index.html

[kikiek]

9. Draft

Everyone should tell em they're gay.

[spanone]

8. I got the letter at 18. Had to sign up or they'd come for you.

put your ass in jail.